School Fundraising Ideas And Ordering School Supplies

I was in South Carolina vacationing this summer and we were discussing school fundraisers. This one may not make a lot of money for your school, but it is much easier than shopping for school supplies on your own. I was telling them how our public school uses a company called Innisbrook, which delivers kits to the children’s classroom one week before school starts. The teachers make lists of all the supplies they need. Every grade has different lists. We just click on the website and fill in our school’s code. You can tack on a few extra dollars if you would like to use it as a fundraiser. I personally think it is less expensive than shopping on your own and much easier. You just need two people to chair and run it.

I know many parents are tired of cutting checks to their school for all these small items. Another program that we do, which doesn’t cost you a dime, is boxtops for education. Many products you buy in the grocery store have these little coupons on them. You just need to cut them out and start saving them. Your school gets 10 cents for each one. We run a contest between classrooms and the winner gets an ice cream party. If you get the kids involved they will make their parents save them. Your school can then purchase  whatever they need most, from books to field trips to playgrounds.

If you are looking to raise a large sum of money for your school, I would suggest an auction. Have the parents donate vacation houses for a week, tickets to a show, dinner and wine baskets etc. One of the unique auction items we made were pictures of the class(the actual kids) in the shape of the alphabet and the older kids were grouped into 2’s and 3’s doing fun shots. We had a photographer come in set up the white background and we brought each class in for the shots. We then auctioned off one framed photograph for each class at the fundraiser. Every child was included and because their was only one, it made it a unique item to give to your child. You can save money by having a photographer donate his time.

Another large fundraiser that works well is selling pavers, bricks, benches and tables. We needed to raise a large sum of money for a playground and we decided to raise the money this way. You come up with amounts that your parents can afford. The price raises with the cost and size of the brick, paver or bench. We also did a tag sale at the school. We told everyone six months ahead of time to start saving items. A few weeks before the sale we asked them to clean out their basements. To get the kids involved we did a coin drive. Each class competed against the others. The class that raised the most money was treated to a pizza party. Every week the kids brought all the money their class had raised to the office where parents met them and took it to the bank to have it counted. We raised more money than you would think and the kids loved being involved. These are just a few ideas that worked for us. If you have any great ideas, let us know.